The Well

As someone who's read all of the comic books, it's great to see such an interesting character appear in the show. I am really impressed at how this episode currently has a perfect score of 10! While I can see it getting a lower score, I still love it for now. Hey, Breaking Bad's Ozymandias has a perfect 10! Anyway, this episode introduces us to Ezekiel, an eccentric fan favorite from the source material. It's hard to not like a guy who has a tiger with him. Rather than focusing on Rick and Negan, we get a look at what's going on with Morgan and Carol. Hey, I'm starting to remember all of their names.

This episode might not have had much action, but it makes up for that with great introductions. Ezekiel sees Carol's ambitions, something no other character has really done before. It's great to have time to flesh out all of the individual characters. I love his hair style and costumes. There's not much zombie (or should I say walker) action going on, but this doesn't need it. It's always great to see new characters interact and play off of each other. ****

I truly appreciate this episode. Watching the show a second time left me dreading the previous episode before getting there. It weighs heavy and despite acknowledging the significance of what occurred, it still hurts to see two amazing characters go out like that.

This episode is incredibly refreshing and such a welcomed contrast. Especially if one is binge watching the whole series.

This might come off as overthinking it but from a mental health perspective, it's even more important. Seeing something for entertainment worth can still be impactful. For better or worse.

The light hearted nature of the new characters and dialogue helps move the show forward. Even after something so dark.

So, thank you to the writers and creators for placing this here.

After the non-stop horror of last week's episode, there was only really one option to stop viewers from losing their sanity: make the most upbeat, hopeful episode ever. This involved shifting the focus totally away from Rick's group to Carol, who discovers a new community run by a so-called king who calls it his kingdom. She instantly recognises it for what it is.

Despite his absurdity, I do kind of like King Ezeikel. The tiger he keeps beside him is strangely exotic for a show that usually sticks to a colour palette of grey (the walls, roads etc) and green (greenery). So it was an interesting contrast. Whether it actually delivers anything down the line we'll have to wait and see. I do like how the whole king thing is just an act and he knows it, but he does it to make other people feel happy and safe. It's rare that you see such a good character in the Walking Dead. The most important part of the episode is the part with the Saviours. It shows no one is safe from them and that actually King Ezeikel's kingdom is not quite as secure as he lets on.

As for Carol, this episode doesn't develop her character in any major way despite the long, drawn-out conversation she has with King Ezeikel. It's not bad, it just isn't groundbreaking. But I'm glad she doesn't break down in tears or anything, as I hated the way Carol was heading in the second half of Season 6.

So overall a pretty good episode, nothing extraordinary but anything's better than that awful season premiere.

Great Episode. Amazing Sayings and plot. Very "well" developed showing Ezekiel as a wise and peaceful leader using the theatricality to teach people virtue and nobility. Claire is as dull as she could have been looking for something outside herself, which, of course, will end up, in finding the light and the right path inwards helped thoroughly by Ezekiel, in a relationship that could spring some odd ways for the show. Morgan is quite clever and is finally coming across the humbleness he took so long to bow finding himself halfway from the noble man he wants to become. The Saviors were barely shown and that part was also the representation of a "to do" list by the writers just to bring to the audience the fact that the Kingdom also provides for Negan and his Satanic group. Finally it is essential to mention the Ezekiel is, probably, the most balanced and philosophical leader on the show. He seems to be the point of encounter between Negan and Rick, or Morgan and Rick. He is courageous when he needs to be, he is wise when he needs to be and very defiant when he needs to be. He is a kind, courteous and noble man, choosing freedom over dictatorship, and wisdom over despair. He produces and teaches his people the most valuable virtues, morale and respect in a chaotic world. Let's see now if he is the one leader people are looking forward to having at the dawn of war that seems to be coming against Hilltop, the Kingdom and Alexandria in the future.

The previous episode "The Day Will Come Before You Won't Be" was surprisingly not bad at all, despite going too overboard on the violent tone. Am saying surprisingly, because it followed on from such a disappointing finish to the previous season, an inconsistent one but with many fine things. And because it opened the season where 'The Walking Dead' went notoriously downhill and felt like a completely different show altogether.

Despite a much lower rating here as of now, for me Season 7's second episode "The Well" was a little better and it is not hard to see why it was one of the best received episodes of the season by quite a large margin. It is a very solid episode, interesting for introducing one to The Kingdom and another new character, albeit a very different one compared to the previous episode, its more restrained and calmer tone being a welcome departure from before. While it won't be for all tastes and it's a long way from being 'The Walking Dead' at its best, "The Well" is one of Season 7's better episodes in my view.

It is certainly not perfect. It is a little too slow in spots, the episode being somewhat of a slow-starter and it is with the Saviors when it gets going, and bogged down by being a little too exposition heavy. Some of it being rambling (if not as much as Negan's dialogue in "The Day Will Come Before You Won't Be").

Other episodes did a better job at progressing the characters, with the introduction of Ezekiel being the most striking thing in this regard, and at moving the story forward (the episode is not complete filler though), the closest "The Well" comes to being that is other than the introduction to the Kingdom the hostility between the Kingdom and the Saviors.

However, "The Well" is stylishly photographed without trying to do too much, no trying-to-be-too-clever editing to be seen here, or being too static. Shiva looks great. The music avoids being too bombastic or being too low-key, being suitably haunting. Personally do prefer it when the direction has more tension, especially of the uncompromising kind, but did appreciate the sensitivity of it here. While the dialogue is not perfect, it is quite thought-provoking and intrigues enough, especially between Ezekial and Carol. Melissa McBride, Lennie James and Khary Payton are excellent throughout.

Although, like the script, the storytelling is flawed, there are things done well. The big scene between Ezekiel and Carol is particularly well done, great chemistry between the two, not too heavy-handed and really probes thought. Close behind is with the Saviors, that had intensity and a further sign of how dangerous they are. Carol and Morgan's story here is on the most part more interesting than in "Last Day on Earth", which didn't fit with the rest of the episode. It was great to have "The Well" focusing on two of the show's better regular characters and focusing on less characters than tends to be the case, am aware that fans had issues with Carol's development in the latter episodes of Season 6 but she is very well handled here and Morgan has come on a lot. Ezekiel is a colourfully characterised character, very intriguing and enigmatic.

In summary, well done if not top-'The Walking Dead' standard. Better than a lot of what came after though, which was a completely different story. 7/10